Alcaraz ready to defend titles at Queen’s and Wimbledon

London, June 16 (EFE).- Carlos Alcaraz is expected to return to court on Sunday to defend his title at Queen’s and Wimbledon, a week after winning his first title at Roland Garros in Paris and taking a few days of vacation in Ibiza.

The Murcian landed in London on Saturday and after stopping at the house where he would be staying at Wimbledon, he went to the Queen’s Club to complete his first grass practice of the season, which, however, only lasted 20 minutes because of the rain. .

To extend his success on grass, Alcaraz decided to repeat what worked for him in 2023 when he rented a house a five-minute walk from the All England Club and stayed there for a full month from the start of Queen’s to the end of Wimbledon.

The recipe is the same this year, like giving a vacation to coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, who will return at the start of Wimbledon – and training at Queen’s with Equelite Academy coach Samuel Lopez.

Queen’s is a tournament that Alcaraz has always appreciated, due to its historical component, dating back to its first edition in 1881.

Andres Gimeno, Rafael Nadal and Feliciano Lopez were among the other Spaniards to win the tournament at the west London club, but none in successive years, something Alcaraz would be targeting this year.

Alcaraz earned a tough draw to defend his title, facing Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo in the first round.

In the second round, he could face Jack Draper, finalist this week in Stuttgart and one of the most dangerous rivals on this surface.

From there, Alcaraz can have Tommy Paul and Alejandro Davidovich in the quarterfinals, Grigor Dimitrov in the semifinals and 2023 finalist Alex de Minaur in the final.

The result at Queen’s will mark the preparation for Wimbledon.

On June 28, Alcaraz will learn his way at Wimbledon and, at the same time, he will organize the traditional “media day” at the All England Club.

At Wimbledon, he will start as second seed and thus avoid a confrontation with Jannik Sinner until the final. EFE

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